First, there is the risk that those
outside your company (or even outside the accounting office) will have trouble
trusting you.

And secondly, you won’t be able to say
with absolute certainty that your own records are accurate.

An audit can give you that final, certain
peace of mind.

This article will explore more deeply the
practices of accounting and auditing and the differences between them, allowing
our readers to gain a more developed understanding of why both processes are
necessary and how they can best be brought to bear.

What is Accounting?

Often referred to as the language of business, accountingis
a means of tracking and reporting on the economic activities of an entity.

Businesses conduct accounting practices by
recording the financial transactions they undertake each day.

The categorization of accounting
expenditures and revenue allows businesses to break down into digestible
information packets where money is being spent and where it is being earned.

Accounting is so called because it accounts for the financial transactions
of the business. Without good accounting, a business’ financial practices would
remain a mystery.

Accounting includes keeping records of the
following processes, each of which are common in business:

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Payroll

Marketing

Equipment Expenses

Operational Expenses

Accounting teams, or individual
accountants, are also responsible for the tax preparations of the business.

If you don’t have an accountant as one of your staff, you might want to contact a professional CPA, such as the team at Nguyen CPA in Denver, Colorado, USA to help you with this process.

An experienced accountant will make sure
your books are in order leading up to tax season.

What is Auditing?

If accounting is an act of reporting,
auditing is an act of checking, and it picks up where the accountant’s work
leaves off.

Many of us have experienced the vague
anxiety of wondering if our personal or business tax returns will undergo an audit.

When we speak of audits, we are talking
about the careful examination of an accounting of one’s personal or business
finances to ensure that everything has been reported properly.

Private and public businesses are subject
to regular auditing to ensure that everything is being handled by the books,
which is just one of the many reasons to make sure you’re working with an
accountant who knows what they’re doing.

Auditing as a term does not refer solely
to the financial records of the company. Businesses can and most likely will be
audited for several different things in their time. Some of the kinds of audits
you can undergo include:

Financial audits – in which the auditor will look through the company’s accounting records to see if they accurately reflect the financial state of the company. This audit will also investigate whether the company is complying with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Program results audits – in an audit of a business’ programs, the auditor will be looking to see whether each program has achieved its intended results and is providing the benefits it was intended to provide.

Compliance audits are intended to ensure that the business is cooperating with local, state, and federal laws. These audits are often carried out in tandem with financial audits.

Economy and efficiency audits review the way the company is managing its assets, including property, personnel, and space.

A company will certainly be subjected to
audits in its time, but it may be able to exert some control over who does the
auditing.

Although all publicly traded companies are
required by law to submit to external auditing, many think it is wise to keep
internal auditors on staff to review the accounting processes by which the
company is run.

Government agencies too are susceptible to
audits, although in their case the legal rules are more particular. At the
federal level, agencies lose most of their power to conduct internal audits.
Separate agencies are assigned to carry out these audits.

The purpose of audits is to provide a
layer of transparency to the taxpaying public. A successful audit reveals
accurate and honest accounting, which lets the public know that their money is
being used as intended.

The Practical Differences
Between Accounting and Auditing

Now that you have a fairly comprehensive
understanding of the definitions of accounting and auditing, and what each
discipline consists of, let’s take a look at the differences between the
accounting and auditing.

By doing so, we can more specifically
delineate which processes are the purview of accountants and which should be
undertaken by auditors.

It’s also noteworthy that each process
informs the other, so that accountants can hone and refine their job skills by
studying the role of the auditor, and vice versa.

So what are some of the specific
differences that set accounting and auditing apart?

1. Auditing Ends Where Accounting Begins

What does this mean? Unless thorough
accounting has been conducted and records are available to review, no audit
will be possible. Auditing is dependent upon accounting in order for it to take
place at all.

2. Auditing is Periodic While Accounting is Constant

Accounting should be part of the daily
practice of business, not something you do weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

Accounting should be live, and the records
of your company’s profits and expenditures should be accurate day by day.
Auditing, conversely, is something that only happens once in a while, such as
every quarter.

3. Auditing and Accounting Are Carried Out by Different People

Whether for an independent individual, a
business, or a government entity, accounting is generally handled by either the
person themselves or an individual or team within the organization. This is not
required—it is certainly possible and sometimes even advisable to enlist the
services of an outside accountant—but it isn’t intrinsic to the process.

When it comes to auditing, however, the
rules are different: audits are carried out by an independent person or
organization that has no financial connection to the subject of the audit.

What Auditing and Accounting
Have in Common

Although auditing and accounting are two
very different business practices and must be treated as such, there is a
reason we are discussing them here in the same article.

Accounting and auditing are very closely
tied together—so closely, in fact, that it may be a mistake to consider one
without the other.

Accountants and auditors do not have the
same job—in fact, far from it—yet they may have more to talk about than any
other two people in a given room. Let’s wrap things up with a look at some of
the ways in which accounting and auditing overlap.

1. Both Operate According to a Strict Set of Standards

The Accounting Standards and the Standards on Auditing. These standards are guidelines put in place to govern the ways in which accountants and auditors go about their business. There can be no freewheeling or creative solutions in these jobs.

2. Both Deal with the Financial Affairs of Individuals or Organizations

Both processes are just as important as
the money is involved. Without careful accounting, one cannot be certain where
the money went. Without good auditing, one can’t hope to know if the accounting
is reliable or trustworthy.

Accounting and auditing processes have the
same end goal—to ensure that the accounting records of a business (or an
individual) adequately reflect that entity’s true financial position.

3. Both Require a Deep Knowledge of Accounting Procedures

Although auditors are not accountants,
they usually do come from an accounting background and often hold an accounting
degree, just because the education and experience leaves them better equipped
for the responsibilities they will face as auditors.

Conclusion

Understanding the difference between accounting and auditing is vital for business owners because both business processes are so integral to the functioning of a successful business.

The terms cannot be interchanged or
mistaken for one another, and you need to make sure that both are taking place.

Put your business’ finances in the hands of a good, well-educated accountant, and prepare yourself to cooperate with an auditor, remembering that in many important ways they are there to help you. With the right combination of accounting and auditing software, your business will thrive.

I am the CEO of Entrepreneur Business Blog, Chief Evangelist of Ebusinessroom Ventures, Lead Coach of The Excellent Entrepreneurs' Network (TEEN) and Convenor of #NaijaSitUp.
My business is to help you start, manage and grow a profitable and sustainable business using digital marketing strategies.
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